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Spotlight: James Cunnama Pushes Through

A mid season check-in with the South African pro reveals a commitment to consistency and hard work.

by Zoie Clift

South African pro James Cunnama has a core piece of advice he keeps returning to since turning pro in 2009. "This sport never stops teaching you," he says. He adds that the most important lesson he's learned is that while every race is important, you can't win them all. "Don't get too caught up in one bad performance, because it may be exactly what you needed to reach your best one," he says.

Cunnama has kept this perspective intact in the midst of a season that so far has been marked by both victories and challenges. He took fourth at the IRONMAN World Championship last year and started 2014 with a memorable win at IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa—a victory he shared with fellow pro triathlete and girlfriend Jodie Swallow, who took first in the women's race.

But his last two races left a bite. Halfway through the bike at IRONMAN South Africa in April, he says he knew it wasn't going to be his day. Cunnama says he knew he just needed to finish in order to validate his Kona points, so ended up easing through the rest of the bike and taking the run just like "a normal Sunday long run, talking to spectators, waving and smiling."

"I have never done an IRONMAN race like that," he adds. "When you remove the stress of pushing the entire way, and stay within yourself, it can be a really great experience, even if slow."

With a similar experience at IRONMAN 70.3 St. George, Cunnama says he just wasn't able to push like he should have. He's currently trying to troubleshoot what's going on, but is confident he's still on track for the main focus of Kona in October. Now living in Boulder with Swallow, the two are training for separate races before they both turn their attention fully to Kona.

Below are some training tidbits from the accomplished athlete, as well as insight into what makes him tick.

→ Consistency and variety: "I generally stick to a similar program and workouts, but always try to vary them somehow, so that I am not always racing my last performance, my last session or my last numbers."

→ "The fartlek is one of my favorite run sessions. The word translates to "speed play." Changing your speed during a run, from 15 second sprints, to two-minute hard efforts and everything in between. This is all balanced with jogging recovery as you need it. It can do wonders to boost your run performance."

→ Favorite swim workout: I love long non-stop swims where I can zone out. But there is nothing like getting through a hard set of 100's where you are at your limit and don't think you'll make the times, but just do.

→ Favorite cycling workout: "A solid TT session, like 4 x 10 minutes hard, where each effort is just a little harder and faster than the last."

→ Favorite run workout: I love my long run. Off road, early morning, there is nothing better.

→ It's the easy sessions I struggle to get through, ironically. I guess I just love pushing myself. But if I do find myself wavering, I will imagine myself in a race against an opponent, and that gives me the motivation to get through it.

→ Go-to race recovery routine: Immediately after an IRONMAN race there is generally a lot of fast food involved! After an IRONMAN 70.3 race I am more focused on immediate recovery and getting the legs moving and flushed, so a massage and some walking is in order.

→ Biggest nutrition mistake people make in an IRONMAN race: Most people over complicate it. Use whatever you can stomach and believe in—but you must have tried it, again and again and again.